Full Disclosure: I still feel some type of way writing this post, or even admitting such a thing happened, and even though I have MAJOR FEELS about it, I can’t deny that is has indeed happened …my daughter turned SIX! And with 6 came a new sense of self awareness, independence and strong opinions. Admittedly, I’m not surprised that her already strong spirit has intensified, I just wasn’t quite ready for her new fashion sense! *insert sad violin music here* All of a sudden she had strong opinions on what was “too babyish” for her to wear and what wasn’t “fashionable enough” [can you imagine?] This was a hard pill to swallow especially since I started sewing for her because, I felt a lot of the clothes in stores marketed for her age were simply not age appropriate for her. Thankfully, because I sew, I can still accommodate her sense of style and create trendy, age appropriate outfits for her with the right fit and length. So, if you’re like me and you have a spirited, fashion forward child on your hands, here are 3 tips to consider when sewing for them :

TIP #1: MIX AND MATCH FABRIC PATTERNS AND Fabric TYPES.

Here I paired this amazingly vibrant FLORAL LYCRA with a midweight STRIPE CHAMBRAY – two different fabric patterns and fabric types! Together they make for a very fun and trendy and age appropriate outfit don’t you think?

Don’t be afraid to mix and match fabric patterns and types, there’s hundreds of fabric pattern combinations you could come up with. Unfortunately these two fabrics are already sold out, but here’s a few possible combinations from fabrics available at Califabrics that I think go really well together:

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Truth be told, depending on how a pattern is marketed you can sometimes have trouble seeing it worn in real life differently. For example this Top is the Juliet LEOTARD from Petite Stitchery & Co. Surprised??! When you think LEOTARD you think ballet or gymnastics right? You wear it to gym or to ballet class, not as a top for all day or everyday use, BUT would you have known it was a leotard if I didn’t share that right?? It’s a gorgeous make, and a pattern is always a winner in my book when it can have multiple uses!

Same goes for the Over the Top Suspender Skirt from Duchess and Hare; you could opt for no suspenders and even no pockets. I will say though, the cross back and the deep front pockets are my favorite things about this pattern.

So take a look at the patterns you already have, re-imagine them as just blocks and think outside the marketed box. I bet there’s a lot of fun combinations and mashups you could come up with!

TIP #3: Do it together.

Okay so maybe this isn’t really a TIP TIP, but I’ve found that including #TheSpiritedOne in all her sews makes the entire process fun. Because sewing for your children, shouldn’t feel like a daunting, uncomfortable process right? Once she feels as if she made a valuable contribution to a project she’s thrilled to take action shots, there’s no fuss or no need for bribery when it comes time to taking pictures. [You know what I’m talking about! lol] And honestly, it makes for such treasured memories for her and I, especially me. It’s amazing to watch her discover her sense of self, her unique tastes and her sense of style and being able to make it come to life for her is truly one of the best feelings in the world. I know that as she gets older, these requests may decrease and quite possibly disappear all together, but for now I enjoy playing a hand in the person she’s going to grow up to be by reinforcing her unique fashion sense simply by sewing for her. So even though sewing for your spirited, fashion forward, strongly opinionated little may sometimes feel more frustrating than fun, do it for the memories! And with that, I’ll leave you with some more action shots.

And that’s it for this post, thanks for stopping by today! When I’m not blogging here, you can keep up with our shenanigans HERE and HERE! Until next time! xoxox – Candice